Medical devices having activated surfaces

ABSTRACT

Implantable biocompatible polymeric medical devices include a substrate with an acid or base-modified surface which is subsequently modified to include click reactive members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application filed under 35 U.S.C. §371(a) of International Application No. PCT/US2010/024737 filed Feb. 19, 2010, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/154,376 filed Feb. 21, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to surface-activated polymers and to a methods for preparation thereof. Medical devices made from or containing such surface-activated polymers are also described herein.

2. Related Art

Biocompatible and biodegradable materials have been used for the manufacture of prosthetic implants, suture threads, and the like. A relative advantage of these materials is that of eliminating the need for a second surgical intervention to remove the implant. The gradual biodegradability of such materials favors regeneration of the pre-existing tissues. There has been recent interest in using such devices for delivery of bioactive agents.

It would be advantageous to provide reactive functional groups on the surface of such biodegradable medical devices for a variety of purposes.

SUMMARY

Implantable biocompatible polymeric medical devices in accordance with the present disclosure include a substrate with an acid or base-modified surface which is subsequently functionalized to include click reactive members. The substrate of the medical devices described herein may be made from any biocompatible polymer and can be part of any medical device of being implanted at a target location. Acid or base treatment of the substrate may result in chemical modification of the material from which the substrate is made thereby facilitating functionalization of the surface or attachment of a linker compound which can be functionalized with click reactive members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Implantable biocompatible polymeric medical devices in accordance with the present disclosure include a substrate with an acid or base modified surface which is subsequently functionalized to include click reactive members.

The Polymeric Substrate

The substrate of the medical devices described herein may be made from any biocompatible polymer. The biocompatible polymer may be a homopolymer or a copolymer, including random copolymer, block copolymer, or graft copolymer. The biocompatible polymer may be a linear polymer, a branched polymer, or a dendrimer. The biocompatible polymer may be bioabsorbable or non-absorbable and may be of natural or synthetic origin.

Examples of suitable biodegradable polymers from which the substrate of the medical devices described herein may be made include, but are not limited to polymers such as those made from alpha-hydroxy acids (e.g. lactic acid, glycolic acid, and the like), lactide, glycolide, ε-caprolactone, δ-valerolactone, carbonates (e.g., trimethylene carbonate, tetramethylene carbonate, and the like), dioxanones (e.g., 1,4-dioxanone), 1,dioxepanones (e.g., 1,4-dioxepan-2-one and 1,5-dioxepan-2-one), ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide, esteramides, hydroxy alkanoates (e.g. γ-hydroxyvalerate, β-hydroxypropionate, 3-hydroxybuterate, and the like), poly (ortho esters), tyrosine carbonates, polyimide carbonates, polyimino carbonates such as poly (bisphenol A-iminocarbonate) and poly (hydroquinone-iminocarbonate), polyurethanes, polyanhydrides, polymer drugs (e.g., polydiflunisol, polyaspirin, and protein therapeutics) and copolymers and combinations thereof. Suitable natural biodegradable polymers include collagen, cellulose, poly (amino acids), polysaccharides, hyaluronic acid, gut, copolymers and combinations thereof.

Examples of suitable non-degradable polymers from which the substrate of the medical devices described herein may be made include, but are not limited to fluorinated polymers (e.g. fluoroethylenes, propylenes, fluoroPEGs), polyolefins such as polyethylene, polyesters such as poly ethylene terepththalate (PET), nylons, polyamides, polyurethanes, silicones, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), polybutesters, polyaryletherketone, copolymers and combinations thereof.

The biocompatible polymeric substrate may be fabricated into any desired physical form. The polymeric substrate may be fabricated for example, by spinning, casting, molding or any other fabrication technique known to those skilled in the art. The polymeric substrate may be made into any shape, such as, for example, a fiber, sheet, rod, staple, clip, needle, tube, foam, or any other configuration suitable for a medical device. Where the polymeric substrate is in the form of a fiber, the fiber may be formed into a textile using any known technique including, but not limited to, knitting, weaving, tatting and the like. It is further contemplated that the polymeric substrate may be a non-woven fibrous structure.

The present biocompatible polymeric substrate can be part of any medical device of being implanted at a target location. Some non-limiting examples include monofilaments, multifilaments, surgical meshes, ligatures, sutures, staples, patches, slings, foams, pellicles, films, barriers, stents, catheters, shunts, grafts, coil, inflatable balloon, and the like. The implantable device can be intended for permanent or temporary implantation.

Treatment of the Substrate

Surface activation of the substrate is provided by acid or base hydrolysis.

In embodiments, the process of hydrolysis is conducted in the presence of an aqueous solution of a base or an acid to accelerate surface reaction, inasmuch as excessively long processes of activation can induce a reduction in molecular weight and thus in the mechanical properties of the material. Suitable bases for use in the present hydrolysis processes include, for example, strong alkalis, such as LiOH, Ba(OH)₂, Mg(OH)₂, NaOH, KOH, Na₂CO₃, Ca(OH)₂ and the weak bases, such as for example NH₄OH and the amines such as methylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine and dimethylamine. Acids suitable for surface hydrolysis treatments can be chosen, for example, from among HCl, HClO₃, HClO₄, H₂SO₃, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₃, H₃PO₄, HI, HIO₃, HBr, lactic acid, glycolic acid.

Surface activation by means of hydrolysis can be conducted at temperatures preferably comprised between 0 degrees Celsius and the material softening temperature or glass transition temperature.

Surface hydrolysis treatment is followed by careful washing to remove all traces of acid or base.

The present surface treatment can generate COONa groups which can be subsequently converted into COOH groups by treatment with strong mineral acids.

Further, the surface freeing of alcoholic groups by means of a hydrolysis process can be followed by reaction by means of the addition of a compound provided with functional group or groups able to react with surface alcoholic groups, such as for example by means of the addition of an anhydride such as succinic anhydride, with the conversion of —OH groups into —O—CO—CH₂—CH₂—COOH groups.

Addition of Reactive Members to the Treated Substrate

Once a surface of the substrate is acid or base treated, click reactive functional groups are provided on the surface.

Examples of the types of reactions that are known to have click reactivity include cycloaddition reactions. Cycloaddition reactions can be used to activate the substrates of the present disclosure. These reactions represent highly specific reactant pairs that have a chemoselective nature, meaning that they mainly react with each other and not other functional groups. One example of a cycloaddition reaction is the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a dipolarophile with a 1,3 dipolar component that produce five membered (hetero)cycles. Examples of dipolarophiles are alkenes, alkynes, and molecules that possess related heteroatom functional groups, such as carbonyls and nitriles. Specifically, another example is the 2+3 cycloaddition of alkyl azides and acetylenes. Other cycloaddition reactions include Diels-Alder reactions of a conjugated diene and a dienophile (such as an alkyne or alkene).

Other examples of the types of reactions that are known to have click reactivity include a hydrosilation reaction of H—Si and simple non-activated vinyl compounds, urethane formation from alcohols and isocyanates, Menshutkin reactions of tertiary amines with alkyl iodides or alkyl trifluoromethanesulfonates, Michael additions, e.g., the very efficient maleimide-thiol reaction, atom transfer radical addition reactions between —SO2Cl and an olefin (R¹, R²—C═C—R³, R⁴), metathesis, Staudinger reaction of phosphines with alkyl azides, oxidative coupling of thiols, many of the procedures already used in dendrimer synthesis, especially in a convergent approach, which require high selectivity and rates, nucleophilic substitution, especially of small strained rings like epoxy and aziridine compounds, carbonyl chemistry like formation of ureas, and addition reactions to carbon-carbon double bonds like dihydroxylation. Therefore, attached functionality may be chosen from acetylene bond, an azido-group, a nitrile group, acetylenic, amino group, phosphino group. The click chemistry reaction may results in the addition of a functional group selected from amino, primary amino, hydroxyl, sulfonate, benzotriazole, bromide, chloride, chloroformate, trimethylsilane, phosphonium bromide or bio-responsive functional group including polypeptides, proteins and nucleic acids, to the polymer.

Thus, suitable reactive members that may be applied to the treated substrate include, for example, an amine, sulfate, thiol, hydroxyl, azide, alkyne, alkene, carboxyl groups aldehyde groups, sulfone groups, vinylsulfone groups, isocyanate groups, acid anhydride groups, epoxide groups, aziridine groups, episulfide groups, groups such as —CO₂N(COCH₂)₂, —CO₂N(COCH₂)₂, —CO₂H, —CHO, —CHOCH₂, —N═C═O, —SO₂CH═CH₂, —N(COCH)₂, —S—S—(C₅H₄N) and groups of the following structures wherein X is halogen and R is hydrogen or C₁ to C₄ alkyl:

The treated substrate can be provided with click reactive members using any variety of suitable chemical processes. Those skilled in the art reading this disclosure will readily envision chemical reactions for activating treated substrate to render them suitable for use in the presently described devices/methods.

For example, in embodiments, the acid or base treated substrate is functionalized with a halogen group to provide a reactive site at which a click reactive member can be attached. The halogenated sites on the surface of the treated substrate can be functionalized with a click reactive member, for example, by converting pendant chlorides or iodides on the core into azides by reaction with sodium azide. See, R. Riva et al., Polymer 49, pages 2023-2028 (2008) for a description of suitable reaction conditions.

Alternatively, the polymer or copolymer backbone may be halogenated using methods similar to those described by Nottelet et al., Biomaterials, 27, pages 4948-4954 (2006). Once halogenated, the backbone can be functionalized with a click reactive functionality by reacting it with a hydroxyacid under condition described by Shi et al. Biomaterials, 29, pages 1118-1126 (2008) followed by reaction with sodium azide. The halogen can also be converted directly to the alkyne by reacting it with an alcoholic alkine suck as propargyl alcohol.

Uses of Medical Devices Having an Activated Surface

Medical devices having an activated surface in accordance with the present disclosure can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, in embodiments they may be used for drug delivery. In such embodiments, the drug to be delivered is functionalized with one or more reactive member that are complementary to the reactive members provided on the surface of the substrate. By “complementary” it is meant that the reactive members on the drug to be delivered are able to interact with the reactive members provided on the surface of the substrate to covalently bond the drug to be delivered to the surface activated substrate.

In other embodiments, the medical device having an activated surface in accordance with the present disclosure can be attached to biological tissue by functionalizing tissue with one or more reactive member that are complementary to the reactive members provided on the surface of the substrate. Biological tissue can be provided with reactive member that are complementary to the reactive members provided on the surface of the substrate by conjugation of such groups to various components of tissue such as proteins, lipids, oligosaccharides, oligonucleotides, glycans, including glycosaminoglycans. In embodiments, the complementary groups are attached directly to components of the tissue. In other embodiments, the complementary groups are attached to components of the tissue via a linker. In either case, situating the complementary groups on the tissue can be accomplished by suspending the reactive member in a solution or suspension and applying the solution or suspension to the tissue such that the reactive member binds to a target. The solution or suspension may be poured, sprayed or painted onto the tissue, whereupon the reactive members are incorporated into the tissue.

Those skilled in the art reading this disclosure will readily envision other uses for the activated medical devices described herein.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto. 

What claimed is:
 1. A method of preparing a medical device having an activated surface, the method comprising: base-treating at least a portion of a surface of a medical device; and attaching one or more click reactive members to the base-treated surface of the medical device, wherein the click reactive members are selected from the group consisting of thiols, azides, alkynes, and alkenes.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the base is selected from the group consisting of LiOH, Ba(OH)₂, Mg(OH)₂, NaOH, KOH, Na₂CO₃, Ca(OH)₂, and NH₄OH.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is selected from the group consisting of monofilament sutures, multifilament sutures, surgical meshes, ligatures, staples, slings, patches, foams, pellicles, films, barriers, stents, catheters, and inflatable balloons.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the click reactive members are selected from the group consisting of azides and alkynes.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the click reactive members are selected from the group consisting of thiols and alkenes.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is a surgical mesh. 